Bracewell's Promise
by TardisTheory
Summary: The Doctor let Edwin Bracewell live on, and as he made his way back to Dorabella and continued to help in the war effort, he promised to find a way to someday repay the kindness of the strange man in the blue box.


**I felt like this was a story that really needed to be told - the story of Edwin Bracewell going after Dorabella, and how she would react to what had happened to him. I really love the character of Bracewell. Can't say why, but I do. :) CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR "THE PANDORICA OPENS"! Don't forget to review! Please? ^-^**

_I always forget the disclaimer. Lol. Don't own Doctor Who!_

**Bracewell's Promise**

He was giving me the opportunity I always wanted. The chance to find her. The chance to find Dorabella! I couldn't thank that man enough. That wonderful, strange man and his blue box, with his funny hair cut, wild eyes, mad bravery, and need I mention the bow tie? I was Dalek technology. I should have been destroyed. But he saw the humanity in me and let me live.

I was beaming from ear to ear as I ran out of the Cabinet War Rooms, up flights of stairs and out onto the street, still in my lab-coat, clutching a small suitcase in my hand.

London lay in ruins around me. I knew I'd have to make my way out of the city on foot. But, nothing would deter me. I needed to find her. So, I trudged through the streets, through the rubble, my heart filled with hope I thought I'd lost. I felt like that feeling would carry me all the way to her. I was Professor Edwin Bracewell, and I was out to find my girl!

* * *

It was three days before I finally made it to my mum and dad's house in Scotland. It had been empty ever since I had left to create the Ironsides for Mr. Churchill. Walking in was painful. I remembered them, my family. It was still so strange knowing that I was a duplicate. That the real Edwin Bracewell was most likely murdered by the Daleks. But, I WAS Edwin Bracewell. I had his memories, his loves, his sorrows. Maybe I really was him, just in a different body.

I looked at the pictures still hanging on the walls - paintings and portraits of a family that had long since vanished. I'd never been able to sell the place, even when I knew I'd be moving to London and leaving everything for what might be forever. I never seemed right. That was the one place where I could still feel their presence. And being there now, I wondered how they would feel about their son returning as a robot.

I set my suitcase down by the door, and took a few seconds to compose myself. I was home. Dorabella would be here. She would be with her family. She had never married. Instead, she had always waited for me. And here I was, an old man, finally coming back for her. I wasn't really that old. I was 57, but the wars and stress had aged me. I looked older, and the Daleks had frozen my body that way. I was worried she wouldn't even recognize me. I made myself stop and calm down again. I shouldn't have been nervous, but I was. I took a deep breath and turned to face the door. I pushed it open and walked forward out into the misty afternoon.

* * *

Dorabella's house was a few doors down. I walked through the garden, pausing at the front door. I was ready. I'd been waiting for this for years, since before I was made into a robot. This was my return. I knocked, then waited.

After a few moments, I heard the sound of heels on a wooden floor. Someone was coming. I felt my heartbeat, or whatever it was, accelerate in pace.

The door opened, and there she was. Dorabella. My Dorabella. Her dark hair was curled, and her eyes, those beautiful blue eyes sparked with recognition.

"Edwin?" She asked in almost a whisper.

"Yes, Dorabella! It's me!" I said.

We hadn't seen each other in close to ten years.

"A man in a blue box said you would come." She said, still whispering.

I smiled. The Doctor was a kind man, indeed.

"I thought you died..." She whispered. "The neighbors, they all said you died in the air raids."

How could I tell her? I did die. The Daleks resurrected me and gave me a new, almost flesh body.

"He told me you would be different in ways, but that you were still my Edwin."

"I am. I am your Edwin." I smiled. I was never going to be able to thank that man enough.

She held out her arms, and I stepped forward and embraced her.

She saw the black glove covering the new hand I built myself. "What is that? What happened?" She asked.

I pulled back. "I shouldn't show you." I said uncertainly.

"But the Doctor warned me."

I wanted to show her. I wanted her to know my horrible and terrifying secret, but I was scared. I didn't know exactly how much the Doctor had told her. How would she react? I felt the glove slipping off of my hand. That was Dorabella. Always curious, and never afraid of what the truth could be.

My robot hand twisted, it's mechanical parts clicking and whirring away as I moved.

I saw Dorabella's eyes widen for a moment. I pulled my hand back and thrust it into the pocket of my coat. "I shouldn't have shown you." I said quickly and took a step back.

"Edwin..." She said.

"My parents never wanted me to marry you, Dorabella. Maybe this is proof that this is how things should stay."

She grabbed my hand - my robotic hand. "Yes, it is strange. But, I love you, Eddie."

My pet name. She said my pet name. It had been so long since I heard her voice say that.

"Dorabella..." I whispered.

"It will take some getting used to, yes." She said. "But I will be here for you." She smiled. "You were always brilliant, Eddie. I've waited this long for you. I'm not waiting any longer."

And with that, she kissed me. It was warm and loving. I could feel all of the longing she had felt, the worry, the pain, and the hope, all in that one kiss. I wrapped my arms around her and held her.

She pulled away, and I realized I was crying. "When I found out this had been done to me, I thought I'd never be happy again." I said. "I wanted to die. But I am so glad I didn't."

"Let me come back London with you." She said.

I pulled back. "No, it's not safe. Not right now."

She looked hurt.

"Dorabella, you have to trust me. I've seen the destruction the Nazis can bring. I don't want you to be there when the bombs fall again, because they will." I couldn't bear the idea of her being in London. "I'll spend the night here, but I have to go back. They need me." I explained.

There were tears in Dorabella's eyes. "Please stay. A few days. A week. Take a break, just for a while." She pleaded.

"I can't." I said, shaking my head. I felt hollow. I didn't want to leave her, but I knew I had to. They needed me so much. If there was one thing I had learned watching the Doctor, it was that even when things seem impossible, the impossible can happen. One man can change everything. I didn't know if I would ever be that one man, but I also realized how important I was to the war effort. I gazed at Dorabella. "I have to go back. But I will tell you this. Since I'm going to be here for the night, why don't we go have some tea and get out of this mist."

She nodded, and I took her hand.

She and I had the most lovely conversations during that time, and I was so grateful for that time. I kissed her again when she left. I felt so happy and rejuvenated. That day carried me through the rest of my time working in the war. I never forgot my gratitude for what the Doctor had done, and I promised myself that someday, I would return the favor. That day came much sooner that I anticipated.

* * *

Late one night, we got word from troops in France that a Van Gogh painting had been found. It was reported to be a painting no one had ever seen before. Many doubted its authenticity, so it was sent back to London to be examined.

It arrived two weeks later. I couldn't believe what I was looking at when I finally saw it. It was the TARDIS, but in the midst of a terrible explosion. My heart sank. There had always been whispers of this painting. That it was the true last painting of Van Gogh, and that it was a warning to a friend, but it had never been found...until now. I grabbed the frame and rushed out of my workshop with it.

"Where is Mr. Churchill?" I asked the first person I ran into.

She pointed down the hall. "In his office. He's visiting with one of the soldiers."

I took off down the hall, my lab coat trailing behind me. It was an insane need to protect this man that drove me. I knocked on the door twice before pushing the it open.

"Sir, I have something you need to see."

Churchill puffed on his cigar a bit, then waved the soldier out. I waited as the young man passed, then I closed the door behind him.

I pulled a chair into the middle of the room and set the painting on it. "Have a look."

Churchill circled the chair. "What is it?" He asked.

"It was found behind a wall in an attic in France. It's genuine, it's a Van Gogh."

Churchill took a few steps toward the chair and stood next to me. "Why bring it to me?"

I took a deep breath and sighed. "Because it's obviously a message. And you can see who it's for."

"Can't say I understand it." He said, waggling his cigar a bit, then putting it back in his mouth.

"You're not supposed to understand it, Prime Minister, you're supposed to deliver it."

His head flashed to look directly at me, and I gave him a knowing look. He swept past me, and grabbed the phone on his desk. After a few seconds, he spoke. "I need to speak with the Doctor. Immediately."

I smiled. The Doctor was going to get his message. I had helped make the relay. He would be safe, and I could finally say that I had repaid his kindness to me.


End file.
